Container closure



June 11 1935.

HE. HEMB 2,004,407

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Feb. 23, 1934 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l Junell, 1935. H, a HEMB 2,004,407

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Feb. 23, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 11, 1935 2,004.4ot p I ioonmmaa cross s 3 i Y Harold B.'Hemb, Wiln 1ette,'jIll." Application February 23, .1934,.serm No. #12301 .Q, 5 I 1 14 Claims, (01, 221 62) L invention relates. to container' closures,

and: among the obiectsuofithe inventiongis to provide. a closure that :is: :eflicient in operation, economical. to" manufactureaeasy :to manipulate and which has nodetachableparts-to become mislaid,.lst or inconvenient to handle.

Another object of the. invention is to provide a self-contained closure madeof flexible material and so arranged that flexing; of the same will and close the openin'gof the. closure. 4A furtherobjectisto provide a closure member thahmay be easily'and quickly stamped outof flexible material and folded and secured'in proper shape, and provided'with means for opening and closing the dispensing opening therein j A still further object is toprovide means for detachably securing the parts in positionto hold the closure in closed position. I

Anotherobject is [to provide'a detachable seal ior'sealing theopening of .the'closure until it is desiredto dispense the con-tents of the container.

wA'further object istoprovide' a closure for: con tainers, which closure is made of flexible material and'formed witha region-of greater flexibility so arranged that the'op'ening of the closure may be opened and closed by flexing the region of greater flexibility and the materialof the closure:

AStill further: object is to provide a closure.

member having a pair of lips which may be'opened and closed by flexing the material of the closure Other objects, advantages'and capabilities will later more fullyappear; i 1 My invention further resides in the combination, construction and arrangement of partsillustrated in the accompanying drawings, and while Ihave showntherein preferred embodiments of my invention I wish it understood that the same are susceptible of modification and change with out departing from the spirit of this invention." Inthe drawings-+ Fig. 1 is a perspective View sin-e embodyingmy invention: I Fig. 2 is atransve'rse' section taken the line Z--2ofFig;IQ J Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 2', 'taken'on the line 2-"2 of Fig; 1; but extended: downwardlylto of one forin of eloinclucle the fulcrum pin 8, as shown by: the con tinuation of said line- 2-". downwardly in dotted lines. Fig. 3 also shows an inner protective sheet to protectctl'ie pins fromdeterioration by the con-' tents of. the container: H

. Fig. l is a view of the inner side of a blank stamped out toiorm'my container and justp'rior to its being folded into; the shape showmin 1. 1 Fig. :5 isa .detailtelevationpofimeans for locking open the closure in. positiongasviewed froxn the line .5-5o1Fig.-2. I i r Fig. dis a detail sectional view of means for permittingtheoverlapi i parts to slide with relationtoeachother; i Fig. lisaiperspective view of the detail and associated partsshowninrFigifih 1 1 Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the .closure of Fig.1, butshowing the same in closed position. 9-?is a-fragmentary plan view of Japortion oi sthewblank'lforizfonning aimodified form of closure embodying my. inventionand prior to its being folded into finalpositionz, l 1 ,Fig. l0is. asectional viewtakenonthe line Hie-i0 of Fig. 9 after the parts-of Fig.9 have been folded into final positiong Figgll is alfragmentary view of .theupper por ticn ota closure 'embodyingthe form of Figs; 9 audio.

Fig. 12 i'sa. view similar to Fig. 11' but showing the: parts: detachablysecured in position for holdingthe closurein closed position.

13is a plan. viewof cablank stamped out and just prior to being folded into position to form anothermodification ofimyinvention. 1. 14 is a perspective viewof. a closure. formed by folding into shape the-blank of. Fig. 13,- but showing means appliediforzlocking the closure in closedposition. x. Y

i Fig. 15 is av view similar toFig. J14; butishowing the closure open andsiniposition fordispensing thecontents oithecontainer. s .1 a F g.16 is a. section taken onthe *IinelB-Jfof Fig. 15and looking inthe direction of the arrows.

Fig. 17 is. a. fragmentary transverse section taken; no the line. 1-1! of. Fig. 14, but showing thexparts msposition. when; the closure opening. is open; I

through the lips forming the opening of :the 010- sure, andshowing these lipsrin closed position and havingasea1 applied thereto,.-which may be torn loose when the lips are moved to openposition'.

Figpl9 is a viewsimilartov Fig. '18, but showing. the lips. after being moved to. open position, and just prior: to tearingwloose of the; seal; i Fig. 20 is a view'siinilar: to Fig; 19,-but show-- ing the-seal torn loose from the lips. 1

Fig. 21; a fragmentary-perspective. view of the upper portion'of anotherv form .of my closure closing the lips. v Fig. 22 "isa transverse section zorrzthe line 22-22 of.Fig;:2l..: y l 1;; 'Referring in detaii to the drawings; and more and showing a furthernmeans :for: opening and particularly to the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, my improved closure 2 may be applied in any desired manner to a container 3 which, as will be obvious, may be of any desired shape.

The blank 4 (see Fig. 4) is stamped to the desired shape and is provided with the extending portions 5 and 6 and the slots 1, 8, 9 and ID. Also secured to the marginal edges of the extended portion 6 is a strip l l of cork or other desired material to assist in sealing the joint when the blank is folded into final shape. This blank is also provided with the openings 12 and [3, for a purpose which will hereinafter be more clearly seen. This blank 4 is then bent into conical shape as shown in Fig. 1. The operating pin [4, which is provided with a finger piece I5, is inserted through the intersecting portions of slots 1 and 8 (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2) there also being applied around the edges of these slots the reinforcing strips I6 and I1. There is also secured to the inner head I8 of the pin M a fastening element I9 of the shape shown in Fig. 5, which rotates with pin Hand is formed with a hook portion'20 and slot 2|, which hook when the pin has been moved to the upper end of the two slots 1 and 8 takes over a headed pin 22, which pin upon rotation of the element I9 is caused to engage in slot 2| so as to hold the lips 23 and '24 together in close relation to each other to close the opening 25, as shown in Fig. 8.

In the form shown in Figs. 2 and'3 pins 26 and 21, after the blank has been folded into conical form, are passed through openings I2 and I3, respectively, and also through slots 9 and In, respectively, which pins are provided with suitable heads to prevent their being, withdrawn from these openings and slots; When the pin I4 is moved longitudinally in slots 1 and 8 the overlapping extensions 5 and 6 will have a certain amount of sliding movement with relation to each other, which is provided for by pin 26 sliding in slot 9 and pin 21 sliding in slot l0, thus facilitating the flexing of the body portion of the closure 2 sufficiently to permit opening and closing of lips 23 and 24, and will hold the overlapping portions in engagement sufficiently close to prevent leakage of the contents of the container. It should also be pointed out that when th blank 4 is folded into substantially conical shape openings 28 and 29 will fall into'registry with each other, and through which openings will be inserted and secured the fulcrum pin I, shown in Fig. 3, this pin serving as "a fulcrum for the overlapping portions of the "body portion of the closure to permit the sliding upon each other of these overlapping portions. These openings 28 and 29 may be reinforced with strengthening pieces-3| and 32, as shown in Fig. 3.

From the above it will be readily apparent that when the operating pin I4 is movedto the bottom of the intersecting slots 1 and 8, lips 23 and 24 will be spread apart to open the opening 25 therebetween. When operating pin I4 is moved to the top end of slots 1 and 8 these top ends will be drawn together from their positions shown in Fig. 1 to cause lips 23 and 24 to close to the position shown in Fig. 8,.which will close the opening 25. This movement is possible because of theiflexible nature of the material from which closure 2 is made, which material may consist of paper, or other fibrous material, thin metal,ce1luloid, as well as lead or other ductile material capable of a bending movement. I do not wish this invention to be limited to any specific material, but comprehend the use of any material that will adapt itself to the closing and opening of lips 23 and 24 in the manner stated above. Also, as stated above, rotation of pin l4 upon its reaching the top travel of the slots 1 and 8 will fasten the parts together because of engagement of hook 241 over pin 22 in the manner already stated. As shown in Fig. 3, a protective lining 33 may be secured to the inside of extension 8 and the body portion of closure 2 by gluing or otherwise, to protect the inner heads of pins [4, 25, 2? and I from deterioration should the contents of the container be such as to otherwise cause deterioration of these portions. 2

Instead of using pins 26 and 21 for holding together in slidable engagement overlapping extensions 5 and 6, the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 may be used, which consists in fastening to extension 5 the element 34, which may be of metal, celluloid or any other material of suitable rigidity, having the portion 35 passing through the slot 9 and formed on the inside with the ex-.

tension 36 for sliding engagement with the adjace'nt interior surface of the conical body portion. A similar means may be provided for sliding movement in slot Won the opposite side of the elongatedslots 1 and 8.

In Fig. 9 I have shown another form of my invention, which is the preferred form, and which consists of a blank 31 (only'a portion of the blank being shown, that portion omitted being plain and forming the balance of a blank necessary to bend into the shape of a cone) stamped into the shape shown, the stippled por tions of which indicate surfaces to be glued. In this form, and assuming the blank to be bent into substantially conical shape, the edge a will be passed'underneath the surface 38 to a distance indicated by the dotted line a, which will cause line b to registerwith line b and line 0 to register with line 0, the glue on the upper surfaces, represented between lines a, and 0, contacting with and adhering to the under surface of that portion represented between the lines a. and 0. While I have referred to glue, my other suitable fastening means may be used for securing these surfaces together.

The finger piece 39 is then bent downwardly and away from the eye, as viewed in Fig. 9, along the line b, and again upwardly along the line e, and this upwardly extending portion being glued or otherwise fixed to the downwardly extending portion. This upwardly extending portion is then bent downwardly and away from the eye, as viewed in Fig. 9, along the line 1, and the material forming this conical body is bent downwardly along the line b-b' and the line cl, after the manner shown in Fig. 10, so that the portion along the line 0-0 will form the bottom of an inwardly extending depression, the parts forming the same being of flexible material.

The portions 49 and 4| are also bent inwardly and the tab 42 bent upwardly toward the eye, as viewed in Fig. 9, the portions 43 and being glued together, with the outwardly extending tab 42 being glued therebetween and extending outwardly of the cone, as shown in Fig. 11, which figure also illustrates the outwardly extending finger piece 39, which is provided with an opening 45 adapted to be snapped into position over pin 46 to detachably hold finger piece 39 in closed engagement with the material of the cone after the manner shown in Fig. 12.

The position of the finger piece 39, as shown in "Fig. 11, corresponds substantially to. that shown in Fig 10, at which time" the portions of the pleat. or creased region: will'hold the lips 41 and 48 (see Fig. 11) in separated position, while whenthe finger piece -39 is movedinto the position shownin Fig.- 12 these lips will be moved tightly together, as shown in thistllattercfigure. These lips 41 and 4lmwthis-formaof my, invention corrcspondin functioniandoperation to the lips 23 and. 24, shown in the form illustrated in Fig.1;

Due to the portions .43 and being glued together, with the tab 42 tbent therebetweento ex,-

- tend outwardly, as shown in Fig..;1l, I have pro.-

' vided a seal for the opening between lips 41 and 48, which will seal the. contents of the. container therein until finger piece 39 ismoved from: the positionshownin Fig. 12. to the positiontshown in Fig. 11, afterwhichthe sealmay be removed by graspingthe tab 42 .withthe handand Pull.- ing uponit to tear. loosetho portions 43 and .44 and the portions "and H Iattachedthereto,

which will then expose the opening. between lips seal as having been torn loose and removedto expose the opening betweenlips 41 and. 48 ready for dispensing oithe contentsof the container, this being; effected byvtearing the portions and 4|. loose-from the. lips 41 and- 48 and the body portionyoi the closure member. The opening between lips 41. and 4& is then available for use in dispensing the oontentsof the container and may be opened and closed bymoving the finger piece 38. in one direction or theo'ther as describedgabove.

Itv is here pointed, outthat instead of using the opening 45 and pinMt the finger piece 39 may be secured closely in contact with the. closure member'by any other-suitable-meansdesired, andymay be temporarily fastened: in such positionby a spot of gluewwhich may botorn loose: when itis desiredto dispense the contents of the container... In suchlflatter instance ,the pin 46. would represent a spot 0i glue and the opening 45 would be omitted from the finger piece 39, which latter member would be merely pushed downwardly against the spot of glue.

It will thus be seen that the bendingv inwardly of theportions along the lines bb, c--c and d, thus afford a region oigreater flexibility, which flexibility may, if desired, beincreased by adding at any number of-dcsired spaced places along the surface of the cone, ribs 50, shown in Fig. 1.6. Any

desired number of such ribs may be added as de.

sired. w l I Another formof my invention is shown in Fig. 13., in whichthe meeting edges of the. cone when theblankis. bentinto. conical shape may consist of the surfaces 5!, 52, which may bebent in.- wardly of the .cone and glued together, the stippling on these surfaces representing glue, and the slots.53, 54 permitting these two surfaces to be brought. into overlapping. engagemenhwith a portion-extending on the opposite side for strengthening purposes] In this form the portions 55. and 56'are bentdownwardly and inwardly and glued to the inner. surface.

Passing through the mater ot the.

body portionis the finger has 51], :which may. be of celluloid or. other suitable material, this finger piece passing first through aslot 58. intheaouter portion of. the'cone, then along the portion,

which has been bentinwardlynandthenthrough slot 60, and finally .being 1 glued .into position between the portions 5 I and 52. A string, wireor other suitable reinforcingzelementci i1 may, be

passed 5 along: the adjacent portions. of these ele; ments to. further insure that thennger :piecej'l will not becomes'detached. from. the body of. the closure. members The. portion 6 7.. .will be opposite theportion flandlcompletethe valley or groove; thus providing. aifiexible .pcrtionmore .orless similartto thatshown inrFigc. 10 for the form of Fig. 9a In Fig; 13 the reiniorcingvstripfl may, if

desired, be glued along. theoutside of the conetas shown, to .reinforce these-parts; and .the vaddiv tional reinforcing. strip. 64. addeditotthe insideif desired. Theformshown-in Figs. 13 and 17 may alsobe, provided withthe. pirti 5, over. the; head of whichthe opening it or the finger piece '51 may be. passed to .holdvthe finger piece closely adjacent to the. outer surface of the. closure membena. Y The operation ofzthe form shown inFigse 13 andll'l. is similar: to thatshown in Figs..9,.'10, 11 J and, .12,, in that bymoving the finger .piece; 5'!

,away: fromcontact with .the closure member. so as.

to open up the. depression or valley between por tionS 59 and 62, thelipsf61l. and68 will be sepa:

contact with the surface otthe closure member I may, provide the device shown inFigs, l4, 15,16

and 17, which comprises a member rotatable aboutpin 69,;this rotatable member. being designated at ill and, having a slot larger; at one end than the other, the: enlarged end beingdesiga nated. at H, and when. moved into registry with opening. 66 (see Fig. 17) willpermit passage of Ill.

the finger piece over, the head oil-pin ,55j-after which the rotatable member 'lllwill be swung on pin ,69- to move the narrow portion of the slot into contact withepin and under the edge of head '12 thereof, thuspreventing openlng oi the finger piece until the rotatable member l0 isagain rotated to bring the enlargedopening H into registry with the opening .65, after which-the finger piece may be swung to open position to open the lips. of the closure member. 1 v

. A further modification is shown in Figs. 21 and 22... in which the conical member has the inwardly extending portions 13 and 14 with the extensions 15 and 16 gluedtogether, the. portions 13 and 14 forming a. trough or depression, which upon being flexed will open enclose the-lips l1 and l8 depending upon the directionQ-of the flexing movement. This 'fiexing movement is produced by rotation of the disk or plate 19, which is provided with the camgrooves andBl {which respectiyely engage pins82,=83. As thisplate 'Hlis rotated, if the rotation is suchas to throw pins .82 and 8 3.outwardly. this will cause the members 13,. "to be flexed away from. eachother to open lips 71 and 18. If, however, rotation of plate 1:9 ,is inthe opposite direction so asto draw pins 82 and. 8.3 inwardly towards eachqother, the flexing of parts 13 and "will beinthe oppositedirec tion soas to bring lips 11 and 18 togetherto close the opening therebetween. This plate 19 is rotated upon pin 84, which extends inwardly through theinner portionnf portion 13 passing r s O n n -ther n -r ma tertion 13 to move longitudinally 'of pin 84 to en-' able the flexing movement described above.

From the above the method of .formingmy improved closure device and its operation will be clearly understood.

Having now described my invention,

.1. A dispensing closure for containers, comprising a. conical body portion having a dispensing opening adjacent its apex, said body portion being formed of flexible. material and having meeting portions that overlap and are slidably related to each other, each of said overlapping portions having an elongated slot,.,said slots each occupying a position at an angle to the other, and

a. pin extending through both of said slots, said slots and pin being so arranged'that movement of the pinlongitudinally in the slots will open and close the dispensing opening.

2. A dispensing closure for containers, comprising a conical body portion having a dispensing opening adjacent its apex, said body portion being formed of flexible material and having meeting portions that overlap and are slidably related to each other, each of said overlapping portions having an elongated slot, "said slots each occupying a position at an angle to the other, and a pin extending through both of said slots, said slots and pin being soarranged that movement of the pin longitudinally in the slots will open and close the dispensing opening, said movement of the pin in the slots flexing said body portion, and means to permit a sliding movement of the overlapping portions with relation to each other.

3. A dispensing closure for containers, comprising a conical body portion having a dispensing opening adjacent its apex, said body portion being formed of flexible material and having meeting portions that overlap and are slidably related to each other, each of said overlapping portions having an elongated slot, said slots each occupying a position at an angle to the other, and a pin extending through both of said slots, said slots and pin being so arranged that movement of the pin longitudinally in the slots will open and close the dispensing opening, and means to fasten and hold said pin against longitudinal movement in the slots when the pin is at the top of the slots, so as to prevent inadvertent opening of the dispensing opening.

4. A dispensing closure for containers, comprising a conical body portion formed of flexible material and having overlapping portions each formed with an elongated slot, a pair of lips above said overlapping portions arranged'tomove toward and away from each other, said slots being angularly positioned with relation to each other when said lips are separated, a pin extending through said slots, said slots and pin being so arranged that movement of the pin along the slots in'one direction will flex the body portion and cause said lips to move toward each other, and movement of the pin along the slots in the opposite direction will flex the body portion and cause said lips to move away from each other, whereby to open and close the opening formed between the lips.

5. A dispensing closure for containers, comprising an outwardly projecting flexible tapered body portion having an apex, apair of lips adjacent said apex, which lips when moved apart provide an opening into the interior of the container, said lips being movable toward and away from each other, an elongated portion of the body portion in approximate alignment with said lips being of greater flexibility than the main part of elongated portion of greater flexibility to open and close .said lips.

6. A dispensing closurefor containers, comprising an outwardly projectingflexible tapered body portion having an apex, a pair of lips adjacent said apex, which lips when moved apart provide an opening into the interior of the container, said lips being movable toward and away from each other, an elongated portion of the body portion in approximate alignment with said lips being of greater flexibility than the main part of the body portion and arranged to be capable of a bending movement to move said lips toward and away from each other, and means for flexing the elongated portion of greater flexibility to open and close said lips, said elongated portion of greater flexibility being substantially triangular in shape when said lips are open.

'7. A dispensing closure for containers, comprising an outwardly projecting flexible tapered body portion having an apex, a pair of lips adjacent said apex, whichlips when moved apart provide an opening into the interior'of the container, said lips being movable toward and away from each other, an elongated portion of the body portion in approximate alignment with said lips being of greater flexibility than the main part of the body portion and arranged to be capable of a bending movement to move said lips toward and away from each other, and means for flexing the elongated portion of greater flexibility to open and close said lips, said elongated portion of greater flexibility being substantially triangular in shape when said lips are open, said means comprising'a finger piece extending outwardly from said body portion and secured to the portion of greater flexibility, so that movement of the finger piece will flex the portion of greater flexibility.

8. A dispensing closure for containers, comprising an outwardly projecting flexible tapered body portion having an apex, a pair of lips adjacent said apex, which lips when moved apart provide an opening into the interior of the container, said lips being movable toward and away from each other, anelongated portion of the body portion in approximate alignment with said lips being of greater flexibility than the main part of the body portion'and arranged to be capable of a bending movement to move said lips toward and away from each other, and means for flexing the elongated portion of greater flexibility to open and close said lips, said elongated portion of greater flexibility being substantially triangular in shape when said lips are open, said means comprising a finger piece extending outwardly from said body portion and secured to the portion of greater flexibility, so that movement of the finger piece will flex the portion of greater flexibility, and means for holding said finger piece close to said body portion for holding said lips close together.

9. A closure for containers, comprising a substantially conical flexible body portion, a pair of lips adjacent the apex of the conical body portion adapted when spread apart to define an opening into the interior of said body portion, and when drawn together to close said opening, an elongated portion of the body portion in substa ntial alignment with said opening being formed with a creased portion to provide a region the edges of which are in substantial alignment with the free edges of said lips, and a finger piece secured to the creased portion so that movement oi the finger piece in one direction will flex the creased portion to open said lips andmovementin the opposite direction will close said lips.

10. A closure for containers, comprising a substantiallyconical flexible body portion, a pair of lips adiacentthe apex of the conical body portion 7 adapted when spread apart to define an opening into the interior of said body portion, and when drawn together to close said opening, an elongated portion of the body portion in substantial alignment with said. opening being formed with a creased portion to provide a region the edges of which are in substantial alignment with the free edges of said lips, and a finger piece secured to the creased portion so that movement of the finger piece in one direction will flex the creased por-.

tion to open said lips and movement in the opposite direction will close said lips, and a remov able covering of rendible material secured to said lips to seal the opening therebetween to form a seal until the contents of the container are to be withdrawn, at which time said removable covering may be torn away.

11. A closure for containers, comprising a subt stantially conical flexible body portion, a pair of lips adjacent the apex of the conical body portion.

adapted when spread apart to define an opening into the interior of said body portion, and when drawn together to close said opening, an elongated portion of the body portion in substantial aligna ment with said opening being formed with a creased portion to provide a region the edges of which are in substantial alignment with the free edges of said lips, and a finger piece secured to the creased portion so that movement of the finger piece in one direction will flex the creased portion to open said lips and movement in the opposite direction will close said lips, and a removablecovering of rendible material secured to said lips to seal the opening therebetween to form a seal until the contents of the container are to be withdrawn, at which time said removable covering may be torn away, and a tab extending outwardly from said removable covering to facilitatetearlng it away when desired. t 12. A closure for containers, comprising a substantially conical flexible body portion, a pair of lips adjacent the apex of the conical body portion adaptedwhen spread apart to define an opening into the interior'of said body portion, and when drawn together toclose said opening, anelongated portion of the bodyportion in substantial aligmnent' with said opening being formed with a creased portion to provide a region theedges of which are in substantial alignment with the free edges of said lips, and. a finger piece secured to the creased portion so that movementof the finger gated portion of thebody portion in substantial alignment with said opening being formed with a creased portion to provide a region the edges of which are in substantial alignment with the free edges of said lips, and a finger piece secured to the creased portion so that movement of the finger piece in one direction will flex the creased portion to opensaid lips and movement in the opposite direction will close said lips, and a longitudinally extending rib formed in the conical body portion on a line removed from the saidcrea'sed portion to increase the flexibility of said body portion.

14. A closure for containers comprising a flexible'body portion having an apex and a pair of lips adjacent said apex to define an opening when moved apart, means for flexing the body portion to cause the lips to move towards and away from each other, each of said lips having a foldable portion attached to it, each of said foldable portions having a portion to receive fastening means,

said latter" portions being fastened together to seal the opening, and a tab secured to said latter portions and protruding outwardly from between the lips for tearing away the parts sealing the opening between the lips when desired to dispense contents ofthe container.

- HAROLD B. 

